If you think "patriotic education" is a staid academic practice in China, think again. Bloody Tibetan unrest from now on--such as the April 3 shooting incident in Sichuan, which reportedly killed at least eight Tibetans--will likely have at its roots this Orwellian phrase. 

"Patriotic education" is the term Chinese authorities use for government indoctrination campaigns that, in the Tibetan context, aim to crush separatist aspirations, replace religious devotion with secular obedience, and undermine the deep-seated respect most Tibetans feel for their exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. Coercion is often involved, such as forcing Buddhis monks and nuns to denounce the Dalai Lama in public, or to spit on his photograph.

So abhorrent are such practices to many Tibetans that they resort to protest--or even attempt suicide. Footdragging monks, and a groundswell of sympathy for them, appeared to be the root of the April 3 eruption of protest at Donggu monastery near the western Sichuan province town of Ganzi (also known as Kardze or Garze). Armed police reportedly fired on several hundred monks and laypersons protesting the detention of two lamas who'd objected to an ongoing "patriotic education" drive, according to pro-Tibet lobby groups in the West.

The state-run Xinhua news agency reported that a "riot" had taken place and police had fired "warning shots" to quell the unrest, but it did not mention  that any protestors had been killed. Tensions apparently turned into violence when a "patriotic education" team arrived at Donggu to ratchet up the anti-Dalai Lama effort that had been intensifying since even before bloody riots erupted in Lhasa on March 14.

When Chinese authorities told monks to denounce the Dalai Lama, some of them refused and "skirmishes" broke out when the officials tried to search monks' quarters for Dalai Lama photographs, according to the U.S.-based International Campaign for Tibet (ICT). After two monks were detained, other lamas and ordinary citizens began protesting. Armed police fired on the crowd, killing at least eight, according to ICT which listed the names of 10 monks and laypersons believed to be dead.

Western Sichuan province, which is adjacent to today's Tibet Autonomous Region, is dotted with Tibetan monasteries known for their intense religious devotion and loyalty to the Dalai Lama. Once part of the Kham area of ancient Tibet, the Khampas were  responsible for launching a failed Tibetan uprising that led to the Dalai Lama's 1959 flight into exile. "Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan province is regarded by the Dalai clique as a 'model area' for secessionist activities," declared the communist party mouthpiece People's Daily.

What activities make you a good candidate for "patriotic education?"  The most poignant example is probably the astonishing incident inside Lhasa's Jokhang Temple on March 28, when 30 upset and mostly young monks disrupted the official briefing being given to a government-selected foreign media group. The monks' willingness to risk almost certain retaliation for their unscripted outburst is seen as a gauge of their desparation. Government officials insist the monks have not been punished; their whereabouts are now unknown.

Recently ICT translated their statements from TV news footage recorded during the emotional encounter. The first few minutes of speech were not recorded; many monks were weeping and most spoke in Tibetan before switching to Mandarin Chinese so that they could be understood by the media. Here's ICT's transcript, via the Associated Press:

Comments made by Tibetan monks to foreign journalists on government-arranged trip

The statements were translated by Tibetan scholars in the U.S. who listened to audiotapes of the outburst made by AP Television News.

"The CCP (Chinese Communist Party) tricked the people."

"The government is always telling lies, it's all lies."

 "They killed many people. They killed many people."

 "They (the government) has destroyed the way we are seen by the people."

 "The cadres and the army killed more than 100 Tibetans."

 "They arrested more than a thousand."

 "There were monks and lay people, both."

 "We want freedom and we want peace."

 "But after you leave, we are probably going to be arrested."